St. Joseph cyclist finds knowledge on 2.5K-mile ride

Rural St. Joseph resident Nick Theisen, 21, will be a Gustavus Adolphus senior this year. Theisen spent six weeks bicycling 2,500 miles across Iceland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. He was photographed July 29 near his home.(Photo: Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com)Buy Photo

It was six weeks of the open road, a 2,500-mile cycling expedition through three countries: Ireland, Iceland and the United Kingdom.

Nicholas Theisen learned how to ride a bike as child, watching his dad Todd Theisen, who was into cycling and sparked his initial inspiration of the sport.

While he was a student at Apollo High School, Nicholas was a cross country runner, and he continued running at Gustavus Adolphus College until suffering a knee injury. He did cycling as a part of his training and "liked it too much to stop."

Having completed his first cycling trip with his father from St. Cloud to St. Louis, Missouri, a second trip seemed natural. Especially when Nicholas had the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland from January to April.

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Nick Theisen, 21, a St. Joseph bicyclist who rode 2,500 miles across Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.(Photo: Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com)

"I've always been interested in travel, seeing how other people live and getting out of my comfort zone. The adventure of it really intrigued me. It's something different from what a lot of people do," Nicholas said.

"Being outside, right in with experiencing the culture in an intimate way, being open to everything around me, as opposed to being in a car ... really appealed to me most."

Nicholas's mother Sarah Theisen said she and her husband have encouraged him to pursue his cycling efforts. Sarah would like to go on another family cycling trip in the future.

"I think it's a great endeavor. He grew a ton and learned a lot about himself and other people. He really made it a point to try and get to know people as he was traveling and learn about the areas, the culture he was in," she said. "Some things really stretched him and pushed him, but overall it was a very positive experience."

For the journey alone through the three countries, Nicholas packed light, riding his Surly Long Haul Trucker. He carried a single-person tent, clothes, water bottles, nonperishable snacks, a camera and a small camp stove. He'd stop at grocery stores along the way for rice and pasta to cook for dinner and oatmeal for breakfast, sleeping mostly in empty fields and campgrounds.

But the dream of the open road didn't start off as sweet as initially planned, teaching Nicholas valuable life lessons.

"There's a lot of value in being able to adjust your plans on the fly, which inevitably happens. A trip like that really taught me a lot of practical skills that you couldn't learn in the classroom, by talking to people," Nicholas said.

"I learned a lot about living on my own, getting around, social skills and interacting with different people. It just really forced me into a position that I had to do that. There's a lot to be learned, but it couldn't be learned in other environments."

When he'd pedaled his last mile, Nicholas felt a sigh of relief. It had been six months since he last saw his family and he was ready to go home.

Yet more adventures are sure to test the wheels of his bike. They're just dreams right now, he says, but he'd like to cycle across the United States, visiting states including Alaska, while continuing his passion for photography.

In the meantime, he wants to finish school first. He's entering his senior year of college studying history.

"He'll do it for life, I'm sure he will," Sarah said. "That's kind of his mode of transportation. He would probably rather cycle than drive."

Follow Channler K. Hill on Twitter @ChannlerKHill.

Nicholas Theisen camped in fields and campgrounds along his 2,500-mile route.(Photo: Photo courtesy of Nicholas Theisen)